Atheism In The UK

My first concern is that this forum may be specifically for citizens of the United States, but being what I like to call an 'aggressive atheist' I couldn't resist joining. Am I 'invading'?

I'm hail from Oxford, England and wondered if I might find some enlightening debate here, as well as the opportunity to converse with like-minded people. I've been an atheist for circa five years, though since my late teens I'd been an agnostic who simply didn't give religion much thought. I was baptised after birth, but wasn't raised in any particular religion, save the odd visit to church with my school. My parents never pressured me into Christianity, but equally, could never satisfy my questions as to the existence of God.

I was walking through town one afternoon and in the front window of a bookshop I saw 'The God Delusion' displayed, and I was reeled in instantly. I later read 'Welcome To A Christian Nation', 'God Is Not Great' and am now reading 'The End of Faith'.

Replies to This Discussion

Hi and welcome. I'm in Somerset UK and yes the site seems to me (culturally at least) to have a bent towards the US. But I've discovered that evangelicalism and politics seems to be intertwined .Perhaps its the first amendment I don't know but they are dealing with idiots like Rick Perry and the such. I certainly wouldn't put you off joining the community though. Its very real to my friends in the US and gives me an insight into what they're trying to deal with over the pond. I've had some great advice and (hopefully) shared some of mine.Everybody has been supportive and i will use the "kind".We are all learning and exploring issues together

Hi. Welcome! There are a few of us here. Have a look at the 'coming out stories' Most people are American so I can often only sympathise with the social problems and stigma they face which do not exist here. A lot of the discussions here are about science and there are fantastic photos and videos!

Of course we still have work to do in the UK. We still have Christianity in schools, 26 bishops in the House of Lords, Faith schools are subsidised but do not have to accept all faiths, children may not opt out of religious assemblies at school etc etc And our Prime Minister has just stated that we are a Christian country and should not be afraid to say so and that we need biblical morals - the riots were apparantly a huge sign of us needing these because, as we all know, God never required people to go smashing up towns and setting fire to things and stealing - he insisted on absolute destruction and a 100% death toll. All this despite the fact that less than 15% of Britons are practicing Christians - by this I mean go to church ever.

I find the best place to get active on all this rubbish is the BrItish Humanist Association. Are you a Humanist? I am also an aggressive atheist tho I prefer to call myself an evangelical atheist. My main concern is Christianity is schools as my daughter has been seriously affected by this.

Wow! I wasn't aware of those statistics though I have always wondered. The region that I am currently living in is called St Helens, not far off from Liverpool and according to the 2001 census it is the most Christian town in Britain with about 87%. Though I've only ever met people that say they are Christian and christen their own children while at the same time saying they're not particularly religious, never go to church or read the bible and aren't even partiularly sure whether or not they believe in a God!. I sincerely think that now it's more out of habit and an excuse to have a party than genuine belief. Or maybe the "Christians" I have met are just spectacularly stupid.

Hi Sophie I think they are likely to be unenlightened and that religion doesn't really matter when it does because people are still dying http://news.yahoo.com/child-sacrificed-liver-offered-gods-indian-po....Atrocities such as this have got to stop. These things are happening today now. I guess we can either go along with tradition or make a stand

Thanks for your answer Bob! Totally agree- it is absolutely shocking that in this day and age children are being sacrificed for a better harvest! :0 We should ALL know better. And my New Years Resolution was to earn more about various religions (inspired by another person on TA) so that I can be a more understanding and better-informed atheist- after all knowing the enemy is the first step. I do think people should have a right to be religious if they want to as long as their children can choose for themselves what they beleive and their beliefs don't impose upon or negatively affect anyone else. Sadly, this is not the case :(

"Today, polls seem to indicate that tight controls on religious belief eventually give way to a society with God-fatigue. The "British Social Attitudes Survey" published in 2011 shows those who describe themselves as "non-religious" rose from 31 percent in 1983 to 51 percent by 2009. And a poll of England and Wales released earlier this year shows that 48 percent (less than half) of those who accepted the label "Christian" actually believed that "Jesus Christ was a real person who died and came back to life and was the son of God.""

I was as disgusted with Cameron's outburst as anybody. He's not a Christian by any stretch, he just wanted to use it to rally the working class whilst having a pop at the opposition. The number of faith schools in the UK though, is the legacy of Tony Blair.

Hello A.C! I also hail from the UK (Merseyside to be precise) and always happy to speak to likeminded people rom the UK. Though I'll admit to being fasinated by certain aspects of religion in the US, particularly its involvement and influence in politics. I was never baptised either and told by my mother that if I ever find some belief system that makes sense to me then that's fair enough but that she personally does not have reson to believe in a god. So in a way, I have always been an atheist too. Really glad to meet you :)